However, at this critical juncture—
"In the name of the deliverance, no foul or evil creature shall approach the pure land of living beings!"
A strange voice suddenly resounded across the battlefield. This voice was not produced by a single person, but by many voices overlapping in perfect unison—solemn, majestic, and carrying a firm conviction that brooked no doubt, echoing clearly across the battlefield.
Immediately following, a shocking scene unfolded!
A massive, semi-transparent protective shield emitting a golden glow, shaped like an overturned giant bowl, formed instantly at an incredible speed, completely enveloping the entirety of the Shadow-fold Valley!
Sacred runes flowed across the surface of the shield. Though the light did not seem blinding, it contained an indestructible will to protect.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—
A few scattered drops of the plummeting pus rain struck the golden shield, immediately producing a violent reacting sound, like cold water dripping into boiling oil.
The moment the filthy pus touched the holy light, it dissolved rapidly like snow meeting a blazing sun, dissipating into wisps of black smoke.
However, for every drop of pus dissolved, the golden light in the corresponding area of the shield dimmed visibly. Clearly, maintaining this shield was consuming an enormous amount of energy.
At that moment, Castorice's gaze immediately turned toward the source of the shield's power.
Standing at the entrance of the Shadow-fold Valley, at some unknown point, a group of figures had assembled.
They were uniformly dressed in white robes embroidered with complex and magnificent golden patterns. Their expressions were solemn and devout, their hands neatly folded over their chests with palms facing upward, emitting a golden radiance of the same origin as the shield.
On the chest of each individual was a clearly embroidered symbol representing light and hope: a golden sun radiating lines of light.
However, among this uniform group of white-robed people, one figure stood out exceptionally.
He wore the same white robe with golden trim, but the style was slightly different. The garment was broader, completely shrouding his frame, and even his head was deeply hidden beneath a cowl, making it impossible to glimpse even a sliver of his features.
Even more striking was that he did not place his hands over his chest to channel energy like the others. Instead, he allowed his arms to hang naturally at his sides, his posture exuding a unique relaxation and... mystery.
"This person..." Castorice's brow furrowed slightly as an indescribable sense of familiarity welled up in her heart. "Why do I feel... as if I have seen him somewhere before?"
The white-robed man seemed to sense Castorice's questioning gaze.
He lifted his head and looked in her direction. Beneath the shadow of his cowl, his eyes precisely met hers.
Yet, in the instant their gazes locked—
Castorice's pupils suddenly contracted. The calm and cold mask she had maintained shattered like a mirror, replaced by a look of shock and disbelief.
Because she clearly saw that beneath the shadow of that cowl was a face she believed was absolutely impossible, and should never appear in this place!
That neat silver short hair, and those... golden eyes that belonged only to him, forming a symbol that did not belong to this world.
And those unique eyes were currently clearly reflected in her own pupils.
"Phainon..?"
The moment she saw those golden eyes branded with the unique Kephale symbol, the name nearly escaped her lips, her voice filled with an incredulous gasp.
She would never mistake that one-of-a-kind mark; it was his identifier alone.
Phainon, standing at the valley entrance, clearly froze for a moment the second he raised his head and locked eyes with Castorice.
But he quickly recovered. His serious face, which had been tense from facing the Evil God, rapidly softened, and his lips curved into a warm smile.
He opened his mouth slightly, making no sound, but the clear shape of the words crossed the distance and was accurately transmitted to Castorice's eyes:
"Miss Castorice, long time no see."
After the silent greeting, the warmth on his face quickly vanished, replaced once more by grit and solemnity.
He snapped his head around, his sharp gaze locking once more onto the "rotting moon" in the sky that was radiating a foul aura.
"Filthy thing... you should not exist in this world!"
Having spoken, Phainon reached out his right hand into the air. Flecks of dazzling golden brilliance quickly converged in his palm.
In the blink of an eye, a magnificent greatsword flowing with a holy aura was held firmly in his grip.
This greatsword was none other than Dawnmaker.
Next, he bent his knees slightly and suddenly exerted force. His entire being instantly soared into the sky, a brilliant golden light erupting from within him, making him appear exceptionally radiant against the pitch-black night sky.
As he leapt to the highest point, Phainon gripped Dawnmaker with both hands and twisted his waist, channeling all the strength in his body into the blade before hacking down fiercely toward the massive form of the Nether Moon.
Boom—!!!
A massive golden sword qi radiating pure purification power burst forth as Dawnmaker swung. The sword qi tore through the air and struck the pus-covered surface of the Nether Moon with pinpoint accuracy at a speed the naked eye could barely track.
Ripp—!
Accompanied by a teeth-aching tearing sound, a massive wound with edges flashing with brilliant golden light instantly opened across the Nether Moon.
Graa—!!!
A scream filled with agony suddenly erupted from within the Nether Moon, vibrating through the entire night sky!
This time, Castorice did not receive any mental messages; this howl was a purely primal reaction to the pain of the trauma.
Castorice stared at the wound Phainon had just inflicted. Unlike her death power, which simply suppressed recovery, that golden sword qi seemed to possess a natural restraining attribute. It not only effectively prevented the flesh from writhing and healing but also caused foul-smelling black smoke to continuously billow from the edges of the wound.
That golden sword qi was continuously purifying the foul power contained within the Nether Moon.
This distinct and highly effective strike successfully drew the entirety of the Nether Moon's hatred.
The endless malice and madness instantly shifted from Castorice and locked firmly onto Phainon—this newly appeared enemy who radiated a light aura it utterly loathed!
Then, countless tentacles composed of twisted mental energy began to burst from the agonizing faces on the surface of the Nether Moon, swarming toward Phainon to entwine him!
Simultaneously, the giant "eye" located in the center of the "lunar surface" snapped toward Phainon!
Gurgle... gurgle...
Amidst a skin-crawling sound of churning mucus, a large number of "lesser Nether Moons"—roughly the size of trucks, greyish-white in color, and also covered in small agonizing faces—began to densely spray out from that abyssal giant eye. They emitted high-pitched screeches that confused the mind as they swarmed toward Phainon like a hive of bees.
"Heh, cheap tricks."
Facing such an offensive, Phainon showed no fear. Instead, a proud, confident smile appeared on his face.
He raised Dawnmaker high once more, the golden energy on the greatsword surging. He made a move to swing a second wide-range sword qi to sweep away these annoying little things in one go.
The golden sword qi whistled forth again, sweeping toward the monster swarm.
However, to Phainon's slight consternation, these "lesser Nether Moons" were exceptionally agile. After rapidly changing directions in the air, his sure-fire strike ultimately only managed to slay five or six slow, unlucky ones.
"Er..." The confident smile on Phainon's face froze instantly, looking a bit awkward.
He then made a decisive move, leaping up and landing precisely on the dragon spine of Pollux, arriving beside Castorice.
Castorice, who had been quietly watching the situation develop, turned her head slightly the moment Phainon landed. Her purple eyes looked at him calmly.
"Miss Castorice, these monsters are a bit too agile. Could I trouble you to help restrict their movements?"
Hearing Phainon's request, Castorice did not hesitate. She nodded her head slightly and said:
"Very well, Lord Phainon."
As the words fell, she raised her slender hand and gave a gentle squeeze toward the swarm of "lesser Nether Moons" diving through the air ahead.
In an instant, the surrounding space was torn open with several fissures, and the deep purplish-black water of the river of souls surged forth!
Immediately after, this water rapidly transformed into countless tough, dark ribbons of water, binding every single "lesser Nether Moon" with startling speed and precision!
In the span of a breath, the monster swarm that had been approaching like a locust plague was caught off guard by the sudden ribbons from the river of souls, and their movements instantly became chaotic.
They were now like insects caught in a spiderweb, struggling but unable to break free.
"Splendid! Many thanks, Miss Castorice!" Seeing this, Phainon's face broke into a satisfied smile. While offering his thanks, he had already raised Dawnmaker again, preparing to completely annihilate these restrained monsters.
However, just as his sword stance was about to trigger, another change occurred.
All the "lesser Nether Moons" that had just been touched by the ribbons of the river of souls began to shrivel up at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if all their vitality had been drained away.
The agonizing faces on their surfaces emitted silent wails, and their original greyish-white color rapidly turned haggard.
In just one short second, these monsters that had been baring their fangs a moment ago were completely transformed into dried-up husks without a single breath of life remaining.
The ribbons of the river of souls had not only bound them but had instantly plundered all of their life force.
"Er..." Seeing this, Phainon held his sword with his motion frozen in mid-air. Looking at the battlefield that had been cleared in an instant, he let out a somewhat helpless sigh and turned to complain to the still-calm Castorice beside him:
"Miss Castorice, you... you should have at least left a few for me to stretch my legs..."
Facing Phainon's slightly aggrieved complaint, Castorice's expression did not fluctuate in the least. She merely responded in a calm tone:
"My apologies, Lord Phainon."
"It's fine, it's fine." Phainon did not truly care. He first gave a chuckle, then quickly steeled his spirit again. His burning gaze locked onto the Nether Moon. "In that case, let me be the one to put an end to this big fellow!"
He held Dawnmaker diagonally with both hands, beginning to rapidly pour the surging power within his body into the blade. At this moment, Dawnmaker seemed to transform into a miniature sun, emitting a dazzling light that made it impossible to look at directly.
"Hah—!"
With a shout, Phainon leapt once more from Pollux's dragon spine, his body stretching to its limit in the air. He then swung with all his might at that wound on the Nether Moon that was still billowing black smoke!
A golden, crescent-shaped sword qi tore through the sky, striking the target with precision once again!
Pshh—!!!
This time, it was no longer a simple tearing sound, but a dull, strange noise.
Graa—!!!
At this moment, the Nether Moon let out the most shrill and tragic wail since its birth!
The mental shock contained in this howl even caused Castorice to furrow her brow slightly, feeling a hint of discomfort.
Even more striking was that from deep within the wound that had been expanded once again, what surged forth was no longer the foul greyish-yellow pus from before, but a thick liquid resembling milky-white pulp.
The moment this liquid appeared, an extremely dense aura of life permeated the air!
"Such a dense aura of life... what are these?"
Castorice stared at the white pulpy substance, murmuring to herself with a flash of doubt in her eyes.
"This is its life essence." Phainon's voice rang out at the right time, carrying a hint of excitement as he explained to Castorice. "Thanks to Miss Castorice's continuous attacks earlier, you wore down and eroded most of its 'shell' composed of filth and resentment. Otherwise, I would not have been able to locate and shatter the core where its life essence is hidden so quickly."
Just as Castorice was about to ask further about the specifics of this life essence, she noticed Phainon's expression suddenly change!
"Not good! It's trying to run!"
Hearing this, Castorice immediately turned her head toward the sky.
As expected, the massive body of the Nether Moon had already turned around, attempting to flee in a direction away from the Shadow-fold Valley.
"So... it is capable of running away..."
Looking at that massive figure fleeing in a panic, Castorice whispered to herself, her clear tone carrying a hint of surprise.
After all, she had been one-sidedly pummeling this Nether Moon for nearly half an hour, and the opponent had been like a punching bag that knew no pain and would not retreat.
This sudden flight took her somewhat by surprise.
"Miss Castorice, we absolutely cannot let it escape! I'll go—"
Seeing the situation, Phainon immediately wanted to give chase.
However, before he could finish his words.
"Pollux."
Castorice spoke softly, interrupting Phainon.
In the next instant, she leapt lightly, voluntarily leaving her position on the dragon spine.
Roar—!!!
In fact, Pollux had already been waiting for a long time. Upon hearing Castorice's call, it immediately erupted with a spirited dragon roar.